Films for Halloween

Photo by Toby Ord

Halloween is just a couple of short days away. Do you need a distraction from your studies? Here are a few suggestions for a Halloween movie night. The best part is you can pick them up right here at the Albertsons Library!

Foggy nights (and days), crisp wind, and the changing environment conjure the time of year to curl up on the couch with a good horror movie, or a bad one for that matter.

Here is list of some horror films we have at the library:

1. The Wizard of Gore: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/45748056
   Herschell Gordon Lewis is known as the Godfather of Gore, and this film delivers plenty. The gore in this film is far from realistic, and the acting leaves something to be desired, but that’s part of what makes this film so great. Montague the Magnificent has come on the scene, creating masterful illusions for his paying customers. When the lovely volunteers who are subject to these illusions start to die, a news reporter is ready to investigate. This is considered a splatter film, so be warned if you check this one out!
2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/50805098
   This silent film focuses on a somnambulist who commits murders under a hypnotist's influence. It is one of the films that hails from the German Expressionist movement, and has influenced some modern film makers. The opening scenes from ‘The Queen of the Damned,’ for example, are shot in the same manner.
3. The Fly: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/182538990
   

   David Cronenberg’s remake of this film is great! If you haven’t seen this one yet, what better time to check it out than Halloween? A scientist accidentally combines his own DNA with that of a common fly after it gets trapped in an experimental teleportation device he created. The sequel is also on the shelves (http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/182538896).
4. The Last Man on Earth: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/57070225
   This film is the original! Starring film legend Vincent Price as the only human survivor of a plague that swept the face of the earth, he must defend his home from vampires at night and forage for supplies during the day to survive. Price gives an incredible performance as the tortured, exhausted last man on earth.
5. The Birds: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/43793579
   This is definitely a classic. When Melanie Daniels arrives in Bodega Bay, the small town is attacked by thousands of birds. Alfred Hitchcock directed the film.
6. Chyonghan Kajok (The Quiet Family): http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/68815536
   When economic tragedy hits the family, they take up residence in an old mountain cottage and open an inn. The guests check in, but they never check out. The family must cover up the serial murders occurring on their new property.
7. The Haunting: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/47977603
   Adapted from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, this psychological thriller tells the story of four people who come to the house to study its supernatural phenomena.
8. Cronos: http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/86081224
   This film was directed by Guillermo del Toro and stars Ron Perlman. Antique dealer Jesus Gris accidentally discovers the ancient Cronos device, which bestows eternal life to those who use it. However, there are certain disadvantages to using the device. A dying industrialist finds and reads the creator’s journal, and sends his nephew to retrieve the device.

If you can’t find what you are looking for, don’t forget about Interlibrary Loan, although they won’t
get here in time for Halloween.

Lizzy Walker,
ScholarWorks